Thursday, April 7, 2011

I have been in a bit of a whirlwind as of late. Sometimes I forget that I am Miss Whatcom County.
Even in the midst of all the responsibilities, I still have to stop and remind myself that I am off to compete in at the Miss Washington pageant in July. It is so crazy to me that just a few months ago, when I was told that I should consider running in the Miss Whatcom pageant, I burst out into laughter.

Yes, I admit it. Pageant was the last thing on my mind. I must be perfectly honest. I had some heavy stereotypes and assumptions made. For some reason, I felt compelled to research. Maybe it was because one of my closest friends at the time encouraged me to do so.
After reading online about it, I realized that it seemed much different then I had thought. It was not a beauty pageant. This was a pageant of service, intelligence, community involvement, passion, and driven young women. It was a scholarship for school.

I applied. I went to the interview, and I became part of the 2011 Miss Whatcom County class. I began extensive training in interview. Wow, was that an incredible process. Confidence, composure, the ability to speak about any topic with poise. Current events, my...my. Politics and current events where usually something that I tip-toed around. Now here I was immersed in the newspaper, and tv, and reading all the headlines every day. I loved it. Having an opinion, and knowing how to voice it.

Community service, I loved it. Getting involved in my community as much as possible. Finding my platform, Helping Abused and Needy Children; and investing myself into it. Finishing paperwork, resume, platform paperwork and essays. Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service, Food Bank, Brigid Collins, Children's Miracle Network, and other volunteer projects that I had never even heard about beforehand.

Poise, confidence. This was all quite the whirlwind as I said before. Yet the one thing that kept me grounded when I felt like I was started to drown, was remembering who I was. Remembering who I am, where I have come from, and why I am here. No crazy could overcome that.

It wasn't until about two weeks before pageant where everything inside me switched. I wanted to win.
I realized all that I could do with the title, the doors it would open, and the ways that God could use me as His bearer of love. I realized how much I had learned and how much I could learn as Miss Whatcom. And suddenly, I was filled with a desire. I cannot explain it fully. It wasn't like I became obsessed. I just knew that I was going to give it every single ounce of strength and effort I had, and leave the rest in the hands of Destiny. And so, pageant week this became my mantra.

"Focused. Carpe Diem."

God is good. Everything happens for a reason. Even the difficult things. He is the only reason I am smiling today. Now I am going to take the joy that once seemed impossible, and share it.
"Carpe Diem!"